Scammed, robbed, traumatised – life after war for Russian soldiers

On a busy street in Los Angeles a group of people in yellow vests are holding a ladder against a lamppost. Up the ladder, 34-year-old Evan Clark is ripping down a sign that is nailed to the post. It reads “Jesus: The way, the truth, the life”. These are members of the Atheist Street Pirates, local activists who track and remove religious signs affixed to public property. This group say that there are laws that forbid the erection of religious messages on public property. Nastaran Tavakoli-Far travels to Los Angeles and joins the Atheist Street Pirates out on a hunt for religious signs.

26 Juli 202426min

In the industrial town of Haryana in Northern India, young girls are breaking barriers training hard to become the next generation of gold medal-winning wrestlers, following their idols who have tasted Olympic glory abroad and made a stand against attitudes to women at home. But their success has come at a price. BBC journalist Divya Arya looks at what it takes for these girls to become an Indian wrestling heroine.

25 Juli 202426min

In 1993 the legislators in Cobb County Atlanta passed a resolution stating that “lifestyles advocated by the gay community are incompatible with the standards to which this community describes“. The northern suburb was due to welcome the Olympics in 1996 as host of the volleyball competition. This is the inspiring story of a small campaign group who forced a change. After months of high-profile protests the organising committee stripped Cobb County as a host venue and diverted the torch relay away from its streets.

24 Juli 202459min

The Apartheid Killer. All the victims were black and the youngest was just 12 years old. Some relatives are still searching for the graves. They were killed during a three-year bloodbath in the 1980s in the South African city of East London – by one person. After years of investigation, we tracked him down. To hear more, search for World of Secrets, wherever you get your BBC podcasts. You can also listen here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xtvs0/episodes/downloadsSince this trailer was recorded, the “apartheid killer”, Louis van Schoor, has died. There will be more about this during the series.World of Secrets is the home of major BBC global investigations and gripping storytelling, holding the powerful to account. Follow or subscribe to catch up on previous seasons and to hear what’s coming up in 2024.

23 Juli 20244min

Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana has twice been named the world’s best restaurant. Situated in Bottura’s hometown of Modena, a place renowned for racing cars and balsamic vinegar, the triple Michelin-starred establishment blends traditional Italian cooking with a truly avant-garde sense of design and creativity. Bottura is the leader of the culinary movement that sees food as edible art. Food journalist and cookbook author Emiko Davies spends a weekend in Modena with Bottura and his restauranteur wife Lara Gilmore.

22 Juli 202426min

The destruction of the Roma by the Nazi state and allies and their subsequent post war fate is little understood and still being written. Historian Celia Donert tells the story of this forgotten holocaust and explores its contested memory and legacy.

21 Juli 202449min

What is it like to cover such a globally significant sporting event such as the Olympic Games? We've invited three of our Fifth Floor colleagues to discuss what the Olympics means to their audiences and to tell us about some of the lesser known stories behind this year's games. Joining us are Celestine Korey from BBC Sports Africa, based in Nairobi and Pooria Jefereh from BBC Persian, who are both heading to Paris for the games. We'll also hear from BBC Uzbek’s Firuz Rahimi who has spent the past few years following the incredible story of two sisters from Afghanistan who'll represent their country in the cycling despite the road to geting there being anything but smooth. Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)

20 Juli 202426min

The former President, with his face bloodied, surrounded by Secret Service agents, the American flag behind him, his fist in the air defiant – how much will that image change the United States? This is the focus of our conversations in this week’s edition of the programme. We bring together witnesses to the shooting in Pennsylvania and hear from people at this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There, supporters with tears in their eyes and bandages on their ears, show their love for Donald Trump.

20 Juli 202423min